THE authorities disbursing the Bantuan Rakyat 1Malaysia (BR1M) or 1Malaysia’s People’s Aid are taking the events to the rural interior of Sarawak.

Yes, in a move to make it easier for the rural folk to get the one-off RM500 aid, the authorities are travelling to them.

This is to ensure that rural folk do not have to spend time and money travelling to the nearest town to get the aid.

This means that they will be able to spend 100 per cent of the RM500 on what they need and that they are empowered to choose how to use it wisely.

“Over the next two weeks, we’re going to the longhouses in the interior areas to distribute the vouchers,” Kapit Member of Parliament Datuk Alexander Nanta Linggi told Bernama recently.

“We decided to go to their longhouses to make the payment as it would be very costly for those in the rural areas to come to the nearest town just to collect the vouchers.”

Well said. Kapit and Hulu Rajang are among the most rural parliamentary constituencies in the State.

Rural households that earn RM3,000 and below would definitely appreciate having the aid delivered to their doorstep by MPs such as Datuk Alexander and Hulu Rajang Member of Parliament Datuk Billy Abit Joo, along with the other government officers involved in the disbursement of BR1M.

At present, 14,889 applicants from the two constituencies have qualified for the aid.

Glad to know the people’s needs really do come first.

The report from Bernama:

BR1M disbursement reaches S’wak’s interior

KUALA LUMPUR: Barisan Nasional (BN) politicians and government staff are making their way to far-flung corners of Sarawak to disburse the 1Malaysia People’s Aid (BR1M) to eligible applicants.

The disbursement kicked off on Friday in Kapit town in the interior of Sarawak, with the first batch of 269 people receiving the one-off RM500 at a simple ceremony at the Kapit Civic Centre.

Kapit MP Datuk Alexander Nanta Linggi said the recipients are mainly from the two parliamentary constituencies of Kapit and Hulu Rajang, and live in and around Kapit town.

“Over the next two weeks, we’re going to the longhouses in the interior areas to distribute the vouchers,” he told Bernama when contacted.

He said a team led by Hulu Rajang MP Datuk Billy Abit Jo, together with government officials, travelled from Kapit to the upper Rajang area of Baleh on Saturday to disburse BR1M vouchers to successful applicants.

“We decided to go to their longhouses to make the payment as it would be very costly for those in the rural areas to come to the nearest town just to collect the vouchers,” Linggi said.

A total of 14,889 applicants from the two constituencies have qualified for the aid, meant for households with a monthly income of RM3,000 and below.

“However, the figure is not final as some applications are still being processed,” Linggi said, adding that the disbursement is expected to continue until April.

Kapit and Hulu Rajang are among the most remote of parliamentary constituencies in Sarawak.

Kapit town is accessible by a three-hour express boat ride from Sibu, the gateway to the central region of Sarawak. — Bernama